


Naruto, Our Hero (Sequel)

by Waifu4Laifu (OppaiShiri)



Series: Road to Ninja [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Expect a delay because I'm doing a lot right now, F/M, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, There might a sequel, Who Knows?, maybe not, relationships eventually, set after the prequel, this is the story following the summary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-03-27 12:38:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13881030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OppaiShiri/pseuds/Waifu4Laifu
Summary: "Team Gai is…" Iruka announces from above the pile of paperwork on his desk."Sasuke UchihaNaruto UzumakiAnd...Hinata Hyuuga."WHAT?!(sampling of Chapter One)Roles are reversed. And the story is canonish.Hinata is SasukeNaruto is...NarutoAnd Sasuke is supposed to be the Sakura of the three.





	1. Sasuke and Hinata; Friends or Foes? (2)

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series:
> 
> 1) Naruto, Our Hero (prequel/sequel)  
> 2) Hyuuga Heiress  
> 3) Sasuke Shippuuden (follows the canon story of Naruto Shippuuden with my own twist and turns)
> 
>  
> 
> The first chapter is officially over, while the others are just..."previews" of the finished product. Before this, read the prequel. Everything starts from there. This is episode three of the anime, but is changed completely. The first part is at the last chapter of the prequel and follows the first half of the episode. This follows the second half. The prequel to this basically follows the canon, so stay tuned until it's finished.  
> Got it?  
> Good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: This is for MATURE audiences only. If you are not of the appropriate age group, do NOT read this. Humor is dark at times, and a major canon character dies later on in the chapters. If haven't read or watched Naruto already, do NOT read this, as it contains spoilers. Thought I should clear all of that up.
> 
> Anyway, this is a preview. To hell with it! I'm posting it, anyways! It makes zero sense right now, but who cares!

**1**

* * *

**Sasuke/Naruto/Hinata POV**  

Naruto sits at his desk, staring at a raven-haired, pale-skinned girl; who's sitting away from the others. Her face is indifferent, and she's writing something down onto a piece of paper. The blond smiles to himself with his hand on his cheek. There are hearts in his eyes. ‘ _I sure hope Hinata- chan is on my team. She sure is a cutie_ ~! _And super smart, too_ !’ Naruto snickers to himself. Sasuke sighs. He shouldn't think about things like this. . As for the one sitting next to him, the Hyuuga, is thinking along the lines of: ‘ _Oh, Naruto - kun. Pretty please be on my team. I love you so_.’

 

_Insufferable._

 

These are his two classmates. This is what he has for a team? A deadlast and a lovesick idiot? Talk about class. 

He’d sooner die of suicide. (1)

He notices out of the corner of his eye, Sakura knocking Naruto over as she stands in front of Hinata. Ino does, too. In fact, the two are blushing in front of the already shy girl. And so are the other fanboys at their, ogling the last Hyuuga at a distance. ' _Huh_ ,' Naruto thinks, ' _that's weird. Am I not the only one, then_?'

 

"M - Mind if I sit next to you?" Sakura asks, blushing red all over like a tomato. ' _Mmm_ ,' Sasuke thinks, ' _I like my tomatoes._ ' 

"Move out of the way, forehead! I saw her first!" Ino shoves past her childhood friend.

"Did not, Ino-pig!" squeals Sakura.

"Did too!"

"U - um, is something wrong, g - girls?" Hinata asks, staring at the two with her white eyes. They shake their head. "Nope! Nothing's wrong! _At all_!"

"I - if you say so," Hinata says, looking down at her lap and blushing, too.

' _Wow, she is kinda weird_.' Naruto thinks, as he crouches down in front of her. She notices. 

 "D - Did you want something, N - Naruto-kun?" All of her fans glare at the boy in question. He was about to say something, when someone bumped into him out of nowhere. He kissed Hinata on the lips unexpectedly.

Sasuke looks away. ' _What a waste of time_ ,' he thinks.

 

 **Inner Sakura** : _How dare he! I wanted to be Hinata's first kiss!_

"NARUTO!" she cracks her knuckles, "you're finished!"

"Heh heh. Oops! My mistake!" As the moment, too good to be true, ends. Both the fanboys and fangirls tear him into pieces.

 

\---

"So, this is the Hyuuga heiress," Sarutobi says, watching through his crystal ball as the others eye her intently. "Is she the cousin of Neji?" Kurenai asks, curious. The hokage nods. "That's right. He died with the rest of his clan. All except for her. She's the last Hyuuga. But, she's too shy for her own good. She needs around someone social to balance her out." He looks up at Gai. "Same with these two. They need someone dynamic, so that they can work as a team together."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Gai looks down at the file and up at the spherical ball of glass. It seems they've written his character down to a tee. Predictable, full of youth, and a bit of a class clown. He could work with that.

\---

 

 "STOP GLARING AT HINATA!" Sakura shouts, and Naruto crosses his arms. Sasuke could care less about them. He had his own demons to deal with.

' _What's the big deal with this girl_? _Why are they so obsessed with her_?' Naruto thinks, ' _Hinata. Hinata. Hinata. Just 'cuz she's the last of her clan doesn't make her any special or anything._

 

 _What am I saying? She's drop dead gorgeous! And a hottie at that_!' he thinks, stars in his eyes. He starts a staring contest with her. Her white eyes are still as blank as ever. ' _Man, she's just tryin' to look cool! Can't she say a 'hi' or somethin_ '?'

"Baka, sit next to me." Sasuke says, indicating to the seat next to him with a nod. ' _I guess that's Sasuke. I heard he's a teme. Everyone thinks he's really handsome, but he's also a tsundere. Whatever THAT means. But, he also ties with Hinata-chan. They're both smart! Except for me_.' he groans to himself. ' _He'd better be on my team! He's a bastard, but that's OK! I'll live_!' He sits next to Sasuke and Hinata and blushes. 

"Idiot," Sasuke says when he sees Naruto's red face. He snorts when Naruto silently screams 'shut up!'

 

_He's struck a nerve and he knows it._

 

Smirking, he watches as all the other students walk into the classroom. He's on time, as always. 

 

The schoolbell rings. 

 

"Alright, class," Iruka says to all of them. "As of today, you are all ninjas. You are now first level genin seperated into three man squads. Which is led by a jounin, an elite ninja."

 **Inner Sakura** : _I hope I'm sorted into Hinata's._

"I wonder who'll be in the Hinata-chan's group," Ino says, "Hopefully, it'll be me." She flips her hair, and the Cherry Blossom growls.

 

Sakura grits her teeth.

 

 **Inner Sakura** : _I'm gonna be with Hinata! So stay away from her, blondie!_

 Iruka scolds them, telling the class to settle down. And they do, if not to learn which team they will be on and whatnot.

"Today, you'll be sorted into teams. For the rest of your shinobi life, you'll be with them. Always." Sasuke groans. How is he supposed to eliminate his brother once and for all with people he doesn't care about? He'd rather be alone than lonely. He doesn't pay attention until he recognizes his name being called.

 

> **“Team Gai is,” Iruka announces, looking up from his pile of papers. Naruto hangs at the edge of his seat in anticipation.**
> 
> **“Sasuke Uchiha.”**
> 
> **“Naruto Uzumaki.”**
> 
> **“And….Hinata Hyuuga.”**
> 
> **“Your sensei is Gai. Mighty Gai.”**
> 
> **“N - NANI?!” Naruto exclaims, as the other two shout, “WHAT?!”**
> 
> **Apparently, his teammates, too.**

 

He tunes out of the other name calling of other teams. He doesn’t care. What he does care about is his sensei. He narrows his eyes. He’d rather him be that one Hatake teacher, because he, too, is also a Sharingan-user. Sadly, that wasn’t the case this time.

 

The fact that he had this sorry excuse of a teacher made him feel sick to his stomach.

‘ _What a laughing stock_ ,’ he thinks with a smirk, as he forms a line with his two teammates to follow their sensei to lunch, ' _wearing green-spandex tights. That uniform screams 'what a get-up.' Has he no shame?'_

They're out the door and are outside.

\---

**Naruto POV (3rd)**

"Hey, Ino-chan!" He calls to the flower girl. She pauses, and looks at him. " _What do you want, Naruto_." It's not a question, just a statement.

He laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Y'know, I was wondering...if we could...if we could eat lunch together, maybe?" She shakes her head, glancing at the lavenders she has in hand. "Sorry, pipsqueak. You're real cute an' all, but...I've got a date with Hinata-chan! So long, sucker!" She shouts, walking away laughing to herself. Saddened, Naruto look down at his feet, and throws the cherry blossoms he's picked just for her. 

 

_**A little later**..._

 

He's sitting at the top of the roof, feeling down in the dumps. ' _Man, what a pain! My team is full of weirdos! There's a freaky girl that doesn't say anything and turns red whenever I look at her! And the other one is so annoying! He thinks he can beat me any day and he doesn't care at all! And Ino, well_ ,' he looks down, sad. " _she just broke my heart in two_.'

He looks up once he sees a shadow down below. Curious, he looks down, and spots Hinata eating a bento box full of rice. ' _Got it_!' He thinks, triumphantly.

\---

**Sakura POV (3rd)**

The screen fades to black and we see Sakura, Chouji, and Shikamaru all huddled up together at the balcony of the Academy. She picks her nails, and looks up at the pathetic excuse of a team. ' _Shannaro_!' she thinks, ' _these twats won't stop me from winning Hinata-chan's heart_!' Clearing her throat, she spoke up, "We're going to work as a team! I'll be the leader, since I'm best of the best," she puff out her chest out proudly, hoping if she acts strong, Hinata-chan will surely like her if she hadn't already.

 

> ' _How troublesome. Hmph! She'll just throw a fit if something doesn't go her way_.' He glares up at her, ' _what a drag_.'

 

"Gimme BBQ and maybe you will!" Chouji says, and Sasuke rounds up on him, too. "So pitiful!" she says, face-palming. What piques her interest is when she sees Naruto inching closer and closer to Hinata-chan. ' _DAMN YOU, NARUTO! WHATEVER YOU'RE THINKING, STOP IT_!' her inner self rages, and she tries to suppress these feelings from overwhelming her. The other two look up as well, as Naruto jumps through a hatch and tackling Hinata-chan to the ground. The hatch closes.

 

' _Don't you dare scratch her_!' Sakura thinks, narrowing her eyes into demonic slits, ' _if you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll kill you_!'

 

"W - what happened?" she says, as the whole room down there below shakes. 

After a few moments, Hinata-chan resurfaces, and hops out. 

"Wow, she didn't even break a sweat," Shikamaru notes, thoroughly impressed by the Hyuuga more and more. Sakura smiled to herself. "Well, of course she didn't. That's my Hinata-chan~!" she says in a sing song voice, all cheery. Chouji agrees and eats a bag of potato chips...and EATS IT (dn reference). "Naruto against Hinata? Please. No contest."

 

\---

**Ino POV (3rd)**

' _I really wish I was in Hinata-chan's team_ ,' she sighs to herself, picking at her food her mother made with her chopsticks. ' _I went through all the trouble of picking these lavenders just for her. And, now, she's so far out of my reach_...' She crosses her arms, feeling sad all of a sudden. ' _Oh, she'll never like me. All I have are flowers. And flowers won't help me one bit. Why was I born a Yamanaka, anyway?'_ She looks up once she sees Hinata-chan in the flesh standing right in front of her. She blushes. Hinata-chan smiles shyly. ' _A - ah! It's really her! THE Hyuuga heiress! She's looking_...' a screenshot of Hinata's eyes...' _right at me_!'

' _That look in her eyes_!'

**"Ino's Wildest Fantasies Come to Life!" Start!**

**"You're so beautiful, Ino-chan," Hinata says, holding Ino in her arms, "your flowers, your lavenders, mean the world to me, my love. Dearest, will you...kiss me?"**

**Ino blushes. And snaps out of her daydream.**

**End**

 

' _Oh, Ino_ ,' she scolds herself, ' _that's just a fairytale. And she'll never be my princess at this rate. Who am I kidding, who would want me_?' She looks up at the sky, as leaves rustle in the wind. The summer breeze is nice and so is the sun. ' _Hope I get a tan to impress Hinata-chan_!' she thinks, trying to cheer herself up, and laughs out loud.

 

 _Oops_.

 

"Ino," a voice says suddenly, startling her. She looks up again, and gasps as she sees 'Hinata-chan' (*cough* *cough* _Naruto_ *cough* *cough)  right before her eyes. "you're so beautiful. Like the sun in the sky. I love your flowers...everything about you. Will you...kiss me?" He says, but she doesn't know it's a he. She nods, blushing.

' _I did it! Now, she's all mine for taking! Take that, Sakura_!' she screams internally, but staying shy on the outside. "S - sorry, I - Ino-chan. N - Naruto-kun always says s - such things l - like that."

Ino slumps against the seat. Hinata-chan sits next to her. "U - um, quick question?"

 "Naruto-kun. What do you think of him?" Naruto asks in Hinata's body. Ino fumbles with her fingers, playing with the bouquet she planned to give to Hinata-chan that day. "W - well," she starts, embarrassed, "h - he thinks he knows how I feel about someone," ' _you_ ,' she adds to herself, "and he acts like he knows everything, and I can tell he likes me. A lot. But, I dunno how to feel."

"I - I see," Naruto says in a small voice. "He's so annoying!" she says eventually, a shadow covering half her face. Naruto perks up. "I just...I just want you, Hinata-chan. That's all." Ino says, still blushing and looking down at her lap; her unfinished bento.

"I - Ino-chan w-wants me?" Naruto asked, confused. Ino nodded with a small smile. "That's exactly right, Hinata-chan! I want you to accept me as your," she says, "lover. I'd do anything for your love, Hinata-chan, so please..."

 

She suddenly leaned forward to kiss, and Naruto felt his heart beating fast. 

 

\---

**Hinata's POV (3rd)**

**_In the meantime..._ **

"MMM!" Hinata mumbles through the bounds. ' _Naruto-kun tied me up_!' After using the escape jutsu from class, she found the ropes fall to the floor. Seeing Naruto-kun beside her, she touched him and gasped once a multitude of other Narutos popped seemingly out of nowhere. ' _He used a replacement jutsu_!' she remembered the flashback from earlier that day, ' _but, how could he? How did he combine those two together? The Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Replacement Jutsu? Is he that strong, now?'_

_\---_

**Naruto's POV (3rd)**

**_Meanwhile..._ **

"I - I love you, Hinata-chan..." Ino says, and Naruto blushes at her confession. ' _This...this is why I've liked her so much. I...finally understand this feeling. Is it...love_?'

He's interrupted by a growling of his stomach, from consuming expired milk that day.

He freaks out, and jolts away immediatedly. ' _What bad timing! It really hurts_!' He runs off without so much as a goodbye, leaving a confused Sakura behind.

"H - hey! What's the hold up? I want my kiss and I want it NOW!" she shrieks, and Naruto shouts back at a run still,

"Just a minute!"

 ' _Maybe she's shy_...' Ino thinks, smiling at the thought. ' _that's so cute! She'll be my first kiss in no time_!'

Naruto rushes to the bathroom, transforming back into himself as he goes about his "business".

' _Man, I almost lost control of myself back there! I hafta be careful from now on_ ,' he thinks, as he snatches a piece of toilet paper AANNDD we'll stop there (you'll thank me later).

He walks out the bathroom and stops once he sees Hinata-chan. "Heh heh, Hinata-chan," he blushes, "how'd you get loose?"

She averts her eyes, looking bashfully at her feet with half-lidded eyes. "I u-um...used the escape jutsu. That's h - how."

"Oh, erm, I see! Well," he strikes an overconfident pose, "I'm not done just yet. Shadow Clone Jutsu!

"E - Eee!" Hinata screamed, covering her face, waiting for the impact...

...that never came. 

"Huh?" she asked, and her eyes widened once she sees all of the clones doubling over in pain. "N - Naruto-kun!" she says, stumbling over her words, as she tries to reach out for her. Before she can even say or do anything else, they all leave one by one. Rejected, she leaves feeling sad and walking outside, where she was greeted by a familiar face.

\---

**Hinata POV (3rd)**

"I - Ino-chan?" she asks, seeing Ino blush once she walked over to her. "There you are! I was waiting for you." she says, blushing, and muttering, "what took you so long."

"Erm..." Hinata mumbles, uncertain herself. Confused, she looks around with her Byakugan, hoping for some clue as to what she was talking about exactly. But, alas, nothing. With a sigh, Ino stood up, with her hands on her hips. "You said something about Naruto earlier. If you want my honest opinion, he's just a good for nothing show off."

Hinata spins around, and, if looks could kill, Ino would be dead by now. 

"W - what do you mean, Ino-chan?" She says, feeling anger in her own voice. Either Ino is oblivious to this or is just ignoring that in favor of explaining herself, Hinata would never know. "I'm saying that he's totally brash. Always trying to get attention from the elders and the hokage. Wanting people to acknowledge him? Please. He's just trying to get attention just because he's all alone. He has no friends, no family. I mean, why's he so special."

 

"D - don't say something like that." Hinata says darkly. "Eh?" 

"I said, don't say something like that. You don't know what it's like...to be all alone. With no one there to love you...to save you," her voice hiccups as she remembers Neji sacrificing himself as a shield to protect her from a certain man (it's Itachi *spoilers*).

 

She clenches her jaw, gritting her teeth, with tears in her eyes. "You're stupid...you can't judge someone like that if you don't even know who they are and what they went through to get where they are today. That's why...you don't deserve my love. Goodbye." She walked off nervously, astonished at her own confession. But, she meant every single word. And Ino would never let it down.

\---

**Ino/Naruto POV (3rd)**

 

' _She's right. I shouldn't be so crass to Naruto. I'll apologize_ ,' she thinks, throwing the bouquet of lavenders aside. She had more pressing matters to attend to. ' _From now on, whenever me or Sakura see Naruto, we'll be nice. I swear on my mother's name_.' she vows to herself, determined. She stands up once she sees Naruto walk over to her. "Hey, Naruto!" she calls. "Let's...uh...walk together." she says, forcing a smile. His eyes widen. 'Whoa, does she really mean that? With me?'

' _No, no! This hasta be a trick, she'd never smile at me like that, unless if I was Sasuke_!'

He's about to perform a jutsu, when his stomach aches again. He doubles over, humiliated. 

He then runs off, and Ino stares off after him

\---

**3rd POV**

_**In the meantime...** _

Gai and the Hokage are at Naruto's apartment. "This is where he lives?" Mighty Gai asks, looking at the spare milk jug Naruto has. The Old Man nodded, smoking his pipe. "It seems to be the case, Gai-san. He's teamed up with Hinata of the Hyuuga clan, and Sasuke of the Uchiha clan. Good luck with them." Gai nods, shaking the jug with his rough hands. ' _Seems to be trouble already. A youth like this is so intriguing, I must say. If only I can teach him right, like his father_...'

\---

**Naruto POV (3rd)**

 

 "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." He groans, clutching his stomach, as he sits on the toilet (yes, this scene is actually canon). ' _This...HURTS. A lot_.'

"I'M GONNA BE HERE ALL DAY! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He shouts, and then, comically, the screen fades to black once again.

 

* * *

 

 **PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER** :

"Alright, brave youths! GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE! Let us go to the ends of the earth and we'll introduce ourselves!" 

And so, they did.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1): Did I mention this is for mature audiences only? There's a lot of dark humor, if you catch my drift.)
> 
>  
> 
> Kudos to those who've read this :D Thanks to all of you out there, It means the world to me.


	2. The Bell Test

**2**

* * *

  **Sasuke POV**

Sasuke sits, waiting at a desk. Lunch is (thankfully) already over. The _onigiri_   ( _No, it's not a jelly-filled donut -- looking at you, Brock -- it's just a rice ball, honestly_ ) he had previously tasted and it was alright, he wished he could've cooked it better. But, that was nothing. Something important he could think about: Itachi. His big brother.

As a child, he remembered everything. At eight years old, he witnessed him kill an entire clan of Hyuugas. He remembered seeing the pained face of Hinata, wanting to protect her at all costs. But, all he could do, traumatized at that age, was watch with wide eyes as his brother wiped out each and every one with not a flicker of emotion on his face; no empathy at all. Years to come, he'd isolate himself in a shell, avoiding people at all costs. Hinata had done this as well, and was just as anti-social as he was. He supposed he could relate to her, and maybe become even friends, if he tried. But he told himself training was the better of the two. He had a brother to kill, after all.

"U - um, Naruto - kun." he says, trying to stop the class clown, but can't. He has a foxy grin on his face, as he stands up on a stool and places an eraser above the door. "W - what are you doing?" He turns around and smiles, hand on hips. "Pulling off the best prank ever! Believe it!" He sticks out a tongue at them playfully.

"HAHAHA! I can't wait until he falls for this! It's the oldest trick in the book. He deserves it for coming in so late!" Sasuke agrees with him silently. ' _As much as I hate to admit,_ f _or once in his life, he's right. I can't afford to waste any time when I could be using this time to train_. _Still..._ '

 

' _I'm surrounded by idiots_ ,' Sasuke thinks, brooding at the desk, and watching the two from a distance.

One eye trained on the dobe, and the other...on the other dobe. Dobe #1 and 2 are close to the door as Mighty Gai walks in. Instead of the eraser falling square on his head (like they all predicted would happen) it fell to the ground, as a green flash sped past it and entered the classroom. Startled, they all looked at the teacher in awe.

 

"T - thats...! How'd you evade it so easily!" Naruto screams, pointing an accusing finger at Mighty Gai. The teacher flashes a smile, his teeth sparkling, and pumps a fist into the air arrogantly. "Do not underestimate the Green Beast of Konoha! I assure you, I am not to be messed with by some youthful prankster such as you!"

"GAH!" Naruto shouts slipping to the floor. "I'm screwed...he got me..." Sasuke rolls his eyes, and stares shrewdly at the man before them; scrunching up his face. "Terrible taste in fashion...stinks of cologne...looks manlier than all of Konoha combined...and his hairstyle screams 'dobe' just like those other two dobes."

"Naruto - kun..." Hinata says shyly, her delicate fingers finding their way onto his back, patting him affectionately. "There, there. D - don't cry, N - Naruto-kun," she stutters, "no need...to be sad."

She looks up at their sensei. "You must be our elite genin of our team. Nice to meet you," she bows politely, and Naruto does the same from his position on the floor, if not forcing it. Sasuke gives him a curt nod, and walks over to them, hands in his pockets. "Can you catch up?" he says to Naruto, stepping in front of him, "deadlast."

He hears Naruto growl like a ferocious wild animal and he smirks. Hinata and Naruto catch up to him and their sensei.

 

**\---**

“My name is Mighty Gai!” The jounin salutes epicly, already spot on on his monologue. “We introduce ourselves with our names, goals, likes, and dislikes. My dream is to see you kiddos surpass a Jounin like me! Ho ho ho! I like taking a nice jog in the morning! It really warms up your body for some  _taijutsu_! Who I dislike is my all-time rival Hatake. I will beat him someday, never you fear!” The three sweatdrop. ' _Seriously? This guy is no match for the Sharingan_ ,' Sasuke scoffs at the very idea, ' _who does he think he is? Honestly, I'm surprised he even beat him once. What a loser_ ,' Sasuke glances at Hinata, who's standing next to Naruto, obviously nervous. 

“M - My name is Hinata H - Hyuuga. My dream is…” she looks at Naruto and blushes, “who I like is…” she stares at Naruto with hearts in her eyes, holding a hand to her chest, “who I dislike is…” she looks at Sasuke and he rolls his eyes at her antics. Of course. She’d hate the love of her life’s rival. It was only natural, but he couldn’t care less what the Hyuuga thought of him. The Uchihas and the Hyuugas had enough bad blood as it is. The last thing he needed was any extra bloodshed in the process.

“You next, blondie.”

“Oh, me? My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I love my ramen! It’s worth the world to me! Believe it, dattebayo! Someday, I’m gonna be the hero of my village! And I really dislike this show off,” he points to Sasuke. "but, he's smart, so I guess he's OK. Maybe. I dunno. He's still a bastard."

"Gee, thanks." Sasuke drawls sarcastically, glaring at Naruto. The blonde sticks a tongue out at him.

Great, two teammates who hate him already and a doofus as a teacher.

What a great start.

He stands up, and looks at Gai square in the eye. He's not going to screw this up like those two already have. “My dream...is to become the hokage of the village someday. I dislike the deadlast of the class. Not my fault you’re not so smart, dobe. I love brainless idiots like that one. I don’t know why. I just do.” He confessed, slumping against the staircase.

“Excellent! Now that we’re cleared, I have a few things to add before we do anything of any sort. First off, you all have your IDs with you. Don't lose it! Two, our first mission begins tomorrow, my little children!" Naruto brightens up immediatedly.

"Cool! What's it gonna be, sensei?"

"It's a task...that all four of you will complete."

"Wha, wha, wha, what is it? What is it?" Naruto asks, hanging at the edge of his seat. "A survival test of course! For the fittest!" Mighty Gai says proudly and all three of the genins sputter in disbelief. "No way! Are ya kiddin'?" Naruto asks.

"Um, sorry to i - intervene, but...w - we've done this a - at the academy already. So, um," she gulps, "we already did this practice before." she says, in a loud tone quite unlike her own.

Mighty Gai nods. "True, true. But this one is special." Naruto tilts his head in confusion, narrowing his eyes; an unspoken questioning look in his big blue eyes. 

"It's...best if you don't know until you see for yourself." He says mysteriously, "let's just say...only a few squads will actually pass. Out of all of them, our chances are low. But, I believe if we put all our spirit into it, we can do anything! So, we will pass this test!"

 

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata deadpanned.

 

"That's CRAZY! We worked hella hard to get here! Now you're saying we hafta start all over again at the Academy...if we fail?"

Gai nods in approval.

"I told you it was special~!" Gai says in a sing song voice. "We shall see all of your potential. Prove to me that you can pass this test if you wish to be one with the shinobi. Mark my words. I expect you here tomorrow at five A.M. on the dot, understand?" he says in a serious voice.

They all nod.

"Excellent. See you tomorrow."

\---

The Next Day

**Sasuke POV**

 

Sasuke walks up to Hinata and Naruto. They were already waiting with their ninja gear in hand at the crack of dawn. In silence, lost in their own thoughts and feelings, they wait until the sun is set high in the sky. And sensei is still. Not. Here.

He senses Naruto snoring, as he stands beside the two. Hinata activated her Byakugan already, but shakes her head and says she doesn't see him anywhere.

' _Where is he? Why's he taking so long_?' Sasuke thinks, frowning in concern.

"Ta-ta! Did you all wait for me? So sorry for the wait." Gai says, in a flurry of green chakra. Green flames dance in his path, and the students stare at him out of awe, yet again, as he strikes a JoJo pose (there's too many to count). "You're LATE! Again!" Naruto groans, slouching over. Gai chuckles with a wink. "Sorry, I ran _over 9,000!_ laps around Naruto's apartment."

No one questioned it, not even for a second.

 

"Anyway, all excuses aside," Gai claps his hands together, "let's get started, shall we?"

 He walks over to a timer, and clicks it open. "There we go. It's set for noon." He says, humming to himself."Your assignment is this," he indicates to the bells between his forefingers, and it jingles, "All you need to do, fellow comrades, is to take these from me. The catch is that you have a limited amount of time...and it's a feat for a hero to accomplish. 

 

We can head to the Forest of Death. Don’t you worry, I will protect you with my life should a situation arise. C'mon, everyone! I trust you three can beat the other teams in record time," Mighty Gai holds up a stopwatch. "Basically what you three heroes will do is try to take these two bells from me. The one who can't earn one in time will automatically be disqualified. They'll be tied up in a rope, as they watch their friends eat lunch instead of them. Failing will result to you starting the Academy all over again. BEGIN!"

 

All three of them made faces, and Sasuke knew exactly what they were all thinking. He wouldn't lose to them. All of his time spent on training, getting stronger, to beat Itachi once and for all. He wouldn't waste it all for nothing. 

 

The Uchiha made a headstart for the bushes.


	3. Team Gai at Last!

**3 (work in progress)**

* * *

 

**Hinata's POV**

The Hyuga was scared. It was normal for her to feel anxiety attacks ever since the Hyuga incident, resulting in the loss of her whole family. But, this.

This was terrifying. 

She was smart, albeit a little shy. She worked hard each and every day to become an equal to Naruto's, as a rival of sorts. She trained tirelessly to surpass him, but she felt weak when the shinobi life took over. Competition would be a challenge. She'd sworn to herself that she would avenge her clan. Find and kill 

Even though, deep down inside, she didn't have the guts to kill another. She hated seeing blood. And war. And ninjas dying one by one, like domino pieces. She remembers her grandfather warning her to meditate and drink green tea to calm her nerves. To an extent, it did. But, it wasn't enough to stop her screaming in the middle of night. It didn't stop the spasms she experienced every now and then.

 

It didn't stop her insecurity. She was alone, and had been lonely as a child. Nearby villagers shot her looks of pity because the was the last of the Hyugas. She hated it all. They never understood the pain of losing the people she loved. They weren't shinobis. They were just elders who didn't know any better.

 

_It hurt._

 

After a few years, she met someone who knew pain. Who had no family, no friends, no anything. His name was Naruto.

 

She stalked him, day in, night out. It became an obsession. But, there was something so fascinating about a sad boy who fooled everyone with a smile and a mask. Why didn't she know this before? Somehow, she felt content. She was the only one, besides Naruto, who knew that about him. She sort of felt...special, in a way.

 

Hinata sighs fondly at the memory of the beginning of their friendship. She was by the docks, watching the water, trying to combine those elements into a jutsu. And she almost succeeded, too, if a certain blonde had popped out of nowhere. "N - Naruto-kun!" she growled in surprise, curling herself into a ball. He laughs, scratching his sheepishly. "Neh, neh. Sorry, Hinata. Just kinda curious is all," he opens his mouth and closes it, as if he wants to add on, but stops, "So, uh. Yeah. Bye!"

 

At that, he's left at the speed of light.

 

Hinata remembered hating him after the incident. But, now that they were on the same team....

 

....things could get interesting.

\---

"15 minutes left!" Mighty Gai's clone calls, and looks at the remaining two shinobi. "Ah, Hinata and Naruto. My little heroes. Shouldn't you be hiding with Sasuke?" Hinata gulped, exchanging a look with Naruto. She crosses her fingers and hopes for the best. "I'm with Naruto-kun," she says with a brave face, "and...wait." She activated her  _Byakugan_. It was a fake.

"Liar! Naruto-kun," she spins around and looks at Naruto, bravely. "that's not the real Mighty Gai! We have to catch him!" He nods in agreement, and they scout the area, looking for something that even looks remotely suspicious. And yet, nothing out of the ordinary.

Sasuke, feeling left out, sneaks around and hops tree to tree. He hears something behind him. 

"Got you, young one."

He screams and is knocked out (and would be put under an Infinite Tsukuyomi, or a genjutsu, if his sensei was a certain Sharingan-user. But, no. Instead the Sakura-reversed role known as Sasuke is knocked out by a ' _Thousand Years of Death'_ by yours truly, Mighty Gai. Good times, good times.)

Hinata didn't do much better in the trapped department. In fact, Mighty Guy had her stuck underground. Only her head popped out and she was completely hopeless.

 

\---

_Meanwhile..._

"This is crazy!" Iruka says, snapping his book shut. "None of the other teams have a task so excessive! Much less, something like this? How will the genin team pass?"

"It is true. But, Gai-sensei wants to see them shine, see what they're capable of as a team. That's the whole reason why he's one upped the standards of the bell test. That's why his teams before have failed multiple times in the past. They only had one goal in mind at the time, and they only worked for themselves. They need teamwork, and that is why he's doing this. I trust my life on him."

"I - if you say so, Lord Hokage."

 

\---

All that was left was Naruto. And he was wet, from the clones tossing him aside to the water. He coughed water out, and was completely drenched. Somehow, he found himself standing up even after all that, and wiped his mouth with a determined look on his face.

And he was summoning clones all around him and throwing them at what looked like to be Mighty Gai. But, then out of nowhere, it turned into a log. From what Hinata could see, it was a replacement jutsu. She blushed, she wished she could help her childhood friend -- and rival --somehow. 

"Just gimme the bells, already!" he growled, trying to snatch it away, but the speedy shinobi was way too fast for his own good.

"The day you do taijutsu is the day I will hand it over gladly," mused Mighty Gai, enjoying playing with this...silly youth. Naruto's nostrils flared. He had had enough of this sensei. He'd show him! He aimed a punched, but the Mighty Gai leaped into the air, pounding him down into the ground again. His head hurt. Holding a hand to it, he threw some kunai he had saved up money for, but even that was avoided. It seemed Mighty Gai was not a force to be wreckoned with. "Is that all you go, lad? You must prove your worth to me, with your fists or with your jutsus! A true ninja does not dilly dally!" He tuts.

Naruto grunts; he knew THAT already. It's not like he was twiddling his thumbs all day and burying his head in the sand. He KNEW what to expect the ninja world to be like. Experiencing it for himself was another. "Maa, maa, I'm trying!" he snaps in frustration, trying to kick or even punch, but each one was evaded. Damn teacher.

"NARUTO! To your right!" He turns around and sees Hinata calling to him from a distance. He smiles, relieved. He punched the real Mighty Gai, and grabbed the bell. But, once he did...

...he was tied up upside down. Drats.

\---

 **Third POV** (not Naruto's, Gai's, Hinata's, nor Sasuke's)

"All of you failed!" Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto sputtered in shock. "N - no way! But, we worked so hard to get here!

"He's right. W - we did o - our very best? C - can't you see that? W - we weren't t - that bad!" She squeaks, trying to regain her strength.

"I agree," Sasuke says, glaring at his appointed jounin. "That was uncalled for."

"That'll teach you, you wee lass~!" Mighty Gai says in a singsong voice, patting the blonde on the head with a smile. Naruto wailed about, trying to wriggle his way out. "SENSEI! Lemme go! And, I'm not a girl! I'm a guy!" Everyone else was already freed from their traps. Now, it was only Naruto left.

 

And he was not happy. At all.

 

"H - here, Naruto-kun." Hinata says shyly, handing him a bento. Sasuke does the same, not wanting to feel left out once again. ' _Why do I always feel like the third wheel here_?' He asks himself, glaring at Naruto and Hinata. ' _I swear, those two lovebirds..._ '

"Hn. That's a good idea," Sasuke offers an onigiri to Naruto with a blush evident on his face, but trying to hide his embarassment. Not that he cared or anything about the baka. Pfft.

"Now, now, you three. The point of the exercise was not to share your food with him. And your teamwork as heroes was...lacking at times. However," He held up a finger, and wiggled his bushy brows. He claps his hands together. "You have exceeded at working together! As I have seen, you did not hesitate to help out your teammate when he was in need! You've won the day, my friends! We're official, now!"

And, they were.

(I'm on hiatus, sorry. I'll finish this up in a few days)

 

 


	4. All Tied Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of Episode Five. Iruka and the Hokage discuss about Team Gai, and Naruto is left tied up in ropes. That's about it, all in all.

**4**

* * *

 "Unbelievable. Kakashi's never passed a single student. Not one of them passed with flying colors!"

Sarutobi groans, sighing, as he smokes a pipe. "Remember what I said earlier," he says, "they may be young, but they need to be challenged. If not, then they're not worthy of carrying the title of a nin. That is part of the life they're signing up for.

 _However_ ," he stresses the word, "Kakashi was correct about all of those who failed. They need to be aware of the dangers they'll face, so that's why he's testing them."

Iruka nodded, narrowing his eyes, still not liking the idea of Naruto seeing the world of shinobi. It may not do sit with his sanity, no matter how full of energy he was these days.

 

\---

**Naruto POV (3rd)**

"Sensei, would it hurt to let me go, now that we're a team?" Naruto asks in a hopeful voice, his big blue eyes shining. Gai shakes his head, wagging a finger. "Ah ah ah, my little hero. We're all going to go, now. It's up to you now to get out of there." He blew a kiss, and suddenly, he POOF!ed away with Sasuke and Hinata. 

"DATTEBAYO!" Naruto screamed, wriggling around wildly. He then stopped, from a distant memory.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Hinata! How'd you get loose?" He screamed, pointing an accusing finger at the raven-haired, pale-skinned girl. She bit her lower lip. "I - I used the escape jutsu, Naruto - kun."_

**FLASHBACK**

 

"So, that's it!" He says to himself, snapping his fingers at the bloody brilliant plan. ' _All according to_ **_keikaku_**.'

' _Agh! If only I remembered the technique_!'

"DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SOMEBODY, SAVE ME!" He screamed, wildly.

But, no one did.

 

 


	5. A Dangerous Mission: Journey To The Land of Waves!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Start and end of episode six.

**5**

* * *

 "First mission: Capture that Cat! Target's Moved! On to the attack, heroes!" Gai-sensei screamed into the walkie-talkie. Tobi, the crazy cat, was running off at the speed of light. It was all a blur of black, as it hopped bush after bush. Team Gai was following suit after them. Hinata stayed close to Sasuke around the trees. They were silent, as they observed their surroundings. Naruto was at the tree tops. He hopped down, and dashed to another tree; his other two teammates like a second shadow.

 

"Where's our distance?" Mighty Gai asked through the speaker, and Naruto squinted from behind another tree.

 

"'Bout five meters ( _since when did Naruto do the math?_ ), sensei. Give us the signal." Hinata looked around with her Byakugan, but then went cross-eyed because it was so damn speedy. She covered her eyes with both of her eyes, going blind if only for a few seconds. As for Naruto and Sasuke, they were currently pursuing the monstrosity who dared to hurt their teammate. "He's all mine for the taking," Sasuke growled, narrowing his eyes with distaste. "M - me too!" Hinata says, trying to be useful, and shaking her head from the eye pain. "Great! You've all got a lot of ground to cover! I'm sure you can do it, if you put in your all!" Mighty Gai says supportively.

 At all angles, they pounced on the feline, but Naruto was the one that was trying to hold the damn thing. But, it was so busy trying to scratch him, that he wound up falling onto his back as it went Kyuubi on him. Hinata was trying to sooth the cat after her eyes recovered, but to no avail. The stubborn cat was too persistent for it's own good. And Sasuke, well....

....he was trying to act like nothing happened, but everyone knew that was BS.

"Great! So you've caught him at last. Mission accomplished." Gai says on the other line, and Sasuke nods to himself. Progress.

\---

**Sasuke's/Hinata's/ 3rd POV (3rd)**

The client was rubbing her fat face against her cat's. The lady was too much of a fangirl for Sasuke's tastes. Personally, the quieter, the better. Dobe #1 was loud for sure, but at least he didn't squeal his name like a pig every time he saw just the sight of Sasuke alone. And Dobe #2 was shy, but she wasn't annoying like Ino or Sakura. Personally, these two were really starting to grow on him, as much as he hated to admit it.

 

' _Maybe this team isn't as insufferable after all_ ,' he thinks to himself, hands in his pockets. 

 

"Heh heh! He deserves to be squish-squashed for trying to kill me!" Naruto laughs in his raspy voice, rubbing his hands together in excitement. Hinata nodded, with her hand over her heart. Sarutobi clears his throat, ignoring everyone's undivided attention. He recites his paper aloud, "Now, then, your next mission. Let's see...helping out a family at a farm, 

"NO WAY! That's way too BORING!" Naruto shouts out, and everyone stares at him, shocked at how crass he is to the old man. ' _Damn idiot_ ,' Sasuke thinks, shifting his weight between his feet uncomfortably and looking at Naruto's back. ' _all act and no brains. Talk about child's play. Can't he think once in awhile before he becomes a baka_?'

"I need somethin' EXCITING, y'know?" Naruto says, and Hinata blinks. Once. Twice. ' _I thought he'd say something like that..._ ' she thinks, still smiling softly at him. Gai-sensei sighs, too, and looks up at the hokage. 

Iruka doesn't have it, not for one second. He slams a fist on the table, and shouts at Naruto.

"NARUTO! Genin your age accept these tasks head on! You're lucky this isn't an S-rank and live to tell the tale!" He screams, face full of fury. 

"Babysitting isn't a mission! I'm a ninja, for crying out loud! I don't change baby's diapers for fun!" Naruto rebutes, angry at arguing about this.

' _Said too much for your own good_ ,' Sasuke thinks.

Sasuke knocks his head, and Naruto deflates onto the ground. An anime cyst forms there, and he moans in pain. Sasuke 'humphs' and crosses his arms, and he can vaguely feel Hinata's killing intent on him. Her chakra spikes up, but he doesn't really care.

"Baka." Iruka growls, and so does Sarutobi. His fingers are steepled together, and is sitting at his desk seriously."This is a task set out for you. Listen, our village is in need. Whether it's painting a fence, or assassinating a criminal-nin, that's what you do as a genin. Each of these, D, C, B or even A-ranks are carefully thought through. It all depends on their difficulty. Our caste system is as follows: I am the Leader, Mighty Gai is an Elite, Iruka-sensei is a Regular, and you...

...you are all Juniors. And at the very bottom of the triangle, are the Candidates at the Ninja Academy."

 

 "We all assign these commissions, or missions, with different ranks pending on their experience as a shinobi. For example, if you were a jounin like Gai-sensei, he would be assigned with higher level missions, and you would be assigned with lower level missions. That's just how our system is set up."

 

Sasuke stares down at the Old Man, already dead off of his monologue. ' _This is a waste of time_ ,' he says, tapping his foot impatiently, ' _I have to get stronger! Stronger than Naruto! Strong enough to beat Itachi into a bloody pulp_!'

 "Our clients pay us to support our village and fund out needs. It's a win win for all of us, which is why we all play by the book in the first place.

 

"Since all three of you are starters, you will start with D-level missions, of course," He says, unscrolling a list of all types of Kanji, making the dobe's head spin, no doubt. But Sasuke was smart enough to read each and every detail by heart in just a matter of seconds before he rolled it all up again. A wonder the village thinks he's so smart.

 

"Eh to, what about my ramen? I didn't eat any today! And I'm starving!" Hinata shakes her head in amusement. Of course he'd say that, at this point. 

"SILENCE!" Sarutobi shouts over Naruto; a record that no normal man can accomplish. But the Old Man is no normal man; he's the effing hokage, believe it!

"HEY!" Steam erupts from Naruto's nostrils. "All this, all that! I hate how you always lecture me like this! Like you're my grandfather, or somethin'!"

' _If only you knew, brat_.' He thinks, remembering of Minato and his wife, Kushina. ' _If only you knew_.'

"Look, I'm not little anymore! I'm not pulling pranks, because I'm a real ninja, now! And I'm going on a REAL mission! Hmph!" He pouts, crossing his arms. Suddenly, all the adults in the room are laughing. Confused, Naruto looks up at Hiruzen's crinkled face. "You want a mission, now? Fine, I'll give you one." He says in a dry voice, "Since you're so determined, I'm going to give you a C-rank mission. Your task is to bodyguard someone on an _adventure_." He enunciates the last word, hoping it'll appeal to Naruto. The blonde brat takes the bait.

 

"Really, really? Who's it gonna be? Wait, is it a princess from a fairytale? Or a the president of the United States?" (nah, he doesn't say that...though, it would be funny)

Sarutobi smirks. "Now, now. He's here as we speak." The door behind Team Gai opens, and they turn around to meet face to face with an old man, holding a bottle of beer. There's a towel around his neck for who knows what.

" _This_ is our client?" Sasuke asks with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Even Hinata looks a little skeptical. "Look at these spoiled little brats. They're the ones guarding me?" He asks, chugging down the bottle and sweating. "And YOU!" He points to Naruto, "the one with the idiotic look on his face. You honestly expect he'll protect me?"

"Huh?" Naruto asks, tilting his head slightly. He thens laughs at the awkward silence. "HAHHAHAHAH! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his face?" He looks between Hinata and Sasuke, who walk close next to him. Their sizes are compared: Sasuke the tallest, Hinata in the middle, and Naruto the lowest. "AGH!" He screams, flailing about, as Gai-sensei holds him in place. "Our apologies, fellow citizen. Mark my words, they are plenty capable of performing this task, hands down."

 

 "Guess I hafta introduce meself as the client an' all. Name's Tazuna, the bridge builder. Point of all this is ta escort me back to my country. I expect you to get me there safe an' sound, as I build the biggest bridge of all time. You'll do whatever it takes to protect me, even if it means one of you brats die for me. Your life for mine."

 

Hinata flinched.

 

\---

**Hinata POV (1st)**

This is really...scary. I've never touched foot outside of the village before. Normally, Neji-niisan would hold my hand and tell me everything's OK. But, he's not here for me anymore. I'm all by myself now.

 

A part of me wants to hide behind a shell, with my head in the sand. Act like the shinobi world never existed. Like the whole world is just a dream. But, I know that's not true. No, not at all. Naruto-kun is already aware of that, and so is Sasuke-kun. I MUST be strong, stronger than any of them! I...don't want to be useless to anybody anymore! I'm brave, now!

 

And yet, here we are, at the entrance of Konoha. I feel so, so nervous. 

We're walking, and I startle once Naruto walks backwards, hands in the air, smiling ~~at me~~ at us.

I smile back, because his happiness always enlightens me, and I feel like smiling, too. "ALRIGHT!"

"Why so excited, loser? It's only a mission." Sasuke-kun points out, stepping in front of my Naruto-kun. I hate it when he calls him that! Naruto-kun doesn't deserve a big bully like him! I love him, I love him so much. If only he'd see it someday...

For now, I'll continue loving him, because I do.

"Heh heh! This is our first one, of course! I'm pretty pumped, so let's do this, believe it!" I look down at my feet, embarassed. I can't really see past my bangs, but I let my feet wander with Sasuke-kun, Gai-sensei, and Tazuna-san. I hope I can help them in any way I can. So, 

 

"What a joke!" Tazuna says, rubbing his eyes, and looking at that yellow, blue, and orange monstrosity we call Naruto. He bows his head in shame, and shadows his eyes with his shade hat. Gai-sensei hums to himself in a tune my mother used to sing to me. That was a long time ago.

But, now...

Naruto-kun is crossing his arms. He seems really upset. So, I put a hand on his shoulder, hoping he'll calm down. And I say, "It's OK, Naruto-kun. He's not going to hurt you."

He looks up at me, shocked, I think. But, I understand. I understand, because I was in the same boat as he was, once upon a time. He nods, and claps me on the back with one of those smiles of his. My eyes are wide, and I feel so, so hot in my face. I cover them immediatedly, and squeak like a mouse.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto says to me, and he turns his head to me and I look at him. Does he think of me as a friend? Or are we just teammates. "W-What is it, N-Naruto - kun?" I ask, a stammer in my voice. I can't help it! I'm so nervous, I feel like I could faint!

But, I don't.

If only for Naruto-kun's sake.

\---

**Naruto POV (1st)**

What the heck is up with Hinata-chan? I feel like every second, I feel her eyes on me! It's kinda creeping me out, to be honest. But, I still gotta act natural an' all. They don't call me a class clown for nothin'!

Still, that one guy...

...he's so _ANNOYING_! I hate him for humiliating me just 'cuz he can. It really pisses me off! If only I could kick that stupid stick up in his ass!

I don't know, but I feel a dark cloud of doom washing over me. That's it! I'm not letting this bastard badmouth me, time to show him a piece of my mind! I'm gonna kick him so hard, he'll come FLYING!

"Alright, that's enough talk about me!" I yell at him, full of fury. "I'm gonna be the greatest ninja ever. You just watch and see, I'll become hokage in no time! And then, you'll finally see how strong I am! 'Tebayo!"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! You'd better remember that when I become the hero of the village!" I say, puffing my chest out proudly. Not without, of course, smiling cheekily all foxlike an' stuff. That old hag sighs and drinks his beer. What a drunkard!

Maybe I was rubbing hard into him, but he's the saltiest fish in the sea! And I really dislike him for that.

"Hokage, huh?"

(Unbeknownst to them, a shadow fell over the treetops as they walked)

 "C'mon. A brat like you will never become hokage. In your wildest dreams, kid. You're too brainless, anyway." I had had enough. All of these words were replaying in my head, and the Kyuubi laughing his ass off in the background really wasn't helping plenty.

"Why YOU--!" I growl, trying not to punch this ahole into the ground. "I'LL DO ANYTHING TO BECOME HOKAGE, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES! I _WILL_ BECOME HOKAGE AND YOU WILL LOOK UP TO ME! EVERYONE WILL ADMIT I'M THE TOP NINJA, AND THAT EVEN INCLUDES YOU!" I shout back, tired of this son of a b. What with his stupid glasses, and sour attitude. He's like a lime, full of acid! Gah! I hate those things, even though it's only one of the few things I can actually afford!

 

"You're a nobody." he says.

 

Sasuke and Hinata were staring at me in awe or in disbelief --hell if I knew -- and I just turned my back on them. 

 

Maito Guy seemed to sense my distress and came to my side, saving the day all hero like!

"Alright, that's enough fighting between you two youths. How can one be a hero, if they can't even save the day! Come on, let's go to the land of destiny~!" He cheers, shoujo sparkles surrounding him.

We all groan in disappointment.

\---

**Sasuke POV (1st)**

There are two nin over us. I can sense it. Maybe it's because, out of the three bakas, I was the only one who could actually sense chakra. I went through texts and texts from a book Itachi lent to me a long time ago. _Itachi_....

 _No_. Best not think of him now, not when he's on the loose and my time to kill him isn't now. Not now when there's a mission on our hands. It's a sunny day. No cloud in the sky.

Nothing. ' _I hate conversation_ ,' I think, hands in pockets, ' _there's no choice. Someone has to say something. Anything! As long as it's not me doing the talking_.'

"U - um, Tzauno-san. W - we're going to the Land of Waves, r - right?" 

' _Speak of the devil_.'

"Damn right."

Hinata sighs, and looks up at Guy-sensei for help.

"S - so, aren't there ninja there, too?"

"Not necessarily," Maito has a hand to his chin, contemplatively. "However, other Elemental Countries have Hidden Villages."

"And all of them have different cultures and customs..." Sasuke says off the top of his tongue, remembering Iruka's lesson about them. "But, what seperates this land from ours and other lands, is that this is an island. It already has natural protection, there's no need for military. There are exactly five other countries that have Hidden Villages and nin." Sasuke holds up five fingers, and counts them out, one by one. "Land of Fire, Land of Water, Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, and Land of Earth. Their villages are as follows: Village Hidden In The Leaves, Village Hidden In The Mist, Village Hidden In The Sand, Village Hidden In The Clouds, and the Village Hidden Among The Stones. All of these are the five great nations of our world."

"Each of them have Leaders, and ours is a Hokage. And all the other five reign over thousands of ninja." Hn, maybe that'll teach the two idiots a thing or two. I didn't study all those history documents for nothing. I was, after all, the smartest in the Ninja Academy. I could tell Hinata and Naruto were thinking of something. Probably about the Old Man.

"Well done, my youth! I'm so, SO proud of you~!" Mighty Guy hugs me like a lifeline and I'm so numb I can barely feel my body. I deadpan.

"I - I agree. I mean, erm, it's not like we're going to run into foreign ninja or a - anything." Hinata says, reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I freeze over.

Tazuna grunts.

Hinata looks up at him in shock. "Not likely," he says, and that girl looks down at her feet again. Hmph, 

\---

**3rd POV**

Team Gai is now walking over a bridge, a beautiful blue water underneath them. Maito Gai glances around, sensing something....

Emerging from a puddle beside them, a nin shapes into a human form. Once they do, they sneak up from behind, and attack. A flurry of movement and swishing, there are chains trapping and surrounding Gai-sensei. Hinata, so shocked, faints from an almost heart attack. Naruto's eyes are wide, and he calls out to Mighty Guy desperately, all trace of a smile gone without so much of a second thought. Sasuke clenches his jaw, gritting his teeth, and holding a kunai in hand. Two ninja are now at Naruto's back, and Naruto shivers. They're about to chain him up, too, when Hinata emerges from above. She's activated a water jutsu, and activates her Byakugan on the two. She concentrates her chakra from the puddles of water so that water surrounds her mid-air. These turn to needles, and slashed these two across the face. They stumble back. 

And Sasuke throws a shuriken at them while they're distracted. The chains instead hit a tree, and the Uchiha also throws a kunai, trapping themselves of their own trap.

Naruto looks up at them in shock, as Hinata now closes her eyes from the overuse of her Byakugan. Sasuke looks down at them smugly, kicking them in the crotch (not a canon part, but added anyway)

The two ninjas escape from the chains, and try to attack Naruto and Tazuna again, but Hinata blocks him, and so does Sasuke. And then, they're stopped by Mighty Guy, who's holding them in place. 

13:00

"Tut tut," He says, in a singsong voice, "now, that's no way to greet our guest, is there? Mind your manners, little villains, and have a nice day!" He says, headlocking them, and pressing their pressure points. They're knocked out good. Hinata looks ups with a small smile. ' _H - he really did it! He saved us_!'

' _Hmph, what a show off_...' Sasuke thinks, glaring daggers at their sensei. "Wait, what?" Naruto exclaimed, looking around for the other Kakashi. ' _No way...he used the replacement jutsu_?'

Mighty Gai turns his back on them, smirking. "Apologies, little ones. We still have a long way to go. I should've been there for you sooner in the face of danger." Tazuna stands up, still shocked from their sudden encounter. ' _Damn...what was all that about? I'm just an old bridgebuilder. What would they want with me? Hmm_...'

"Good job, Hinata. And Sasuke. You both saved your teammate, and our client." He claps them on the shoulders, with a thumbs-up. They shake from the impact and nod curtly. 

"Wha - what about me?" complains Naruto, crossing his arms with a cute pout. ' _Hinata was so cool! She jumped in front of me out of nowhere and used her water elements from the Hyuuga clan! Talk about unfair! And Sasuke threw kunai and shuriken at those baddies...I'm so useless_.'

' _She's not even scared. Sure, she's looking at me funny an' all that, but she's so calm. Not even a scratch on her_!'

Sasuke sees his distress, and smirks. "Hey," he says, in a superior voice, "you're not scared, are you? Scaredy cat."

Naruto narrows his eyes, and sweats. "SASUKE!" He shouts, but Mighty Guy has a hand on your shoulder. "Hero, that's no way to act to your allies. Hate them all you like, but being civil is an act of justice. And no hero has no justice." Naruto blinks, trying to digest all this information, all these riddles this twat is throwing at him. After a few seconds, he registers it all.

Naruto groans, wincing as he holds his bloodied hand. Hinata notices.

"Let me look at that." Hinata says suddenly, activating her Byakugan. "Naruto-kun, they poisoned you. Here," from her pouch holster, she pulls out a gauze to clean the blood. But then, Naruto shoves her away. 

 "Tazuna-san let's talk. And, little one," Mighty Guy's eye look at Naruto, "don't you move. Otherwise, it'll spread." Maito Gai says in a serious voice. 

After a scene of the clouds, the two ninjas are tied up against the tree.

"How'd you know about our ambush?" One of them ask Maito Gai, but he shrugs in response.

"Think about it. A puddle on a sunny day?" Sasuke answers for Mighty Guy. 

"If you suspected them, why'd you leave it to these little runts," he gestures to the team of three and they snarl in return. Sasuke smiles. "Well, sensei was busy showing off, and the dobes were in their own little world. Besides, we needed to know about what they were hiding from us before I even attacked." He says, knowledgably. "Their target was Tazuna. But, the question is, why are they after him?"

"What're you playing at?" Tazuna asks, looking down at the Uchiha impatiently.

"Well, I wondered about our file. It said it was a simple mission, correct? So then, why are there ninja after you? If we knew this from the start, it would be a B-rank mission or higher, but instead, it was signed off as a D-rank. So, technically speaking," Sasuke drew in a breath from talking a lot, "this was supposed to be a standard task of escorting you from Point A to Point B. Instead, you charged it as a simple B-rank, even though you were a target and other ninja are after you. _What do you have to say for yourself?_ "

  
Tazuna looks down guiltily.

' _He's GOOD_.' Naruto thinks, in awe.

"You played us, and it's unacceptable. Our mission is beyond what we bargained for."

"Sasuke-kun is right. This is too advanced for genin, you know." Hinata says, putting on a brave face. "Let's go back, and change our file or something. For now, let's treat Naruto's wounds. Let's go to the village and take him to a doctor." Naruto spins around wildly, and clutches his hand to his chest with wide eyes.

"He could be a liability," Sasuke looks up at the sky.

Naruto furrows his brow, and pulls out a kunai out of his pocket. All four of them look at him in shock.

He stabs it at his hand. Stepping away from them, he says, "I'm not gonna LOSE to you! Why am I always---ARGH!" He screams, and Sasuke comes to his side, trying to be the voice of reason. "Stop that, dobe! What are you doing?"

"I worked so hard to get here, trained day in night out, trying to get strong enough to make the cut! I spent alone hours studying; anything to get stronger. To reach my goal. I will NEVER back down again," as he says this, a drop of blood splatters to the ground. Followed suit came two more, "I will NEVER give up on my dream. I will NEVER run away! And I won't let anyone save me again ever! And I will never lose to the two of you!" He points to Hinata and Sasuke.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki! And I will become the greatest hokage ever!" He says, striking a pose for his speech. All of them deadpan.

 "Stop being a masochist, usuratonkachi," Sasuke says, hands on his hips. Mighty Gai crouches down to Naruto's level and pokes him in the head. "Your head might be faint. But, the poison is still there, no matter how heroic you act."

He looks down, and sees his skin burning back together. His eyes widen, once he sees this. ' _This must be what they were talking about. The power of the Kyuubi; Kurama. He's healing faster than I can blink. I suppose the day won't die if he can come along with us. Our hero is growing up so soon_.' He thinks, tears in his eyes, thinking fondly of Minato and Kushina's son. His eyes soften, and he wipes the tears away. He's a manly man, now! Crying is a sin, a sin of the Earth!

"Uh...um!" Naruto says in a small voice, teeth chattering, and shaking visibly. "You look real serious! Like, serious than normal! What's with that look on your face?"

"You're scaring me! Am I OK?" Gai laughs, ruffling his blonde hair with a smile. He wraps his hand with a bandage. "Yes, you're alright."

' _This healing power...is truly from the Nine-Tailed Fox_?'

It's night now.

"I can't believe it! You're all supposed to be hot shot assassins! And yet!" Gato says to his thugs, only caring about the money they'll make. Yeah, he was that type of guy.

"Stop it already."

"Huh?"

"Enough is enough." Zabuza holds his big ass sword near Gato's fat face. "I'm going there personally, and this sword will be the last thing he ever sees."

"R - really? Apparently, Tazuna has high level ninja serving as a shield of sorts for him. Think you can kill them? Let's wait and see. I'll watch you fight, but you must be advanced enough to kill all five of them off."

"Who do you think you're dealing with? I am the Demon of the Hidden Mist. I won't let you down.

The screen fades to black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Assassin of the Mist

**6**

* * *

 

**Sasuke/Hinata/Naruto POV (3rd)**

It's misty, as far as the eye can see.

The waters are waving in and out, and a small row boat is sailing through them. Mighty Gai is at the heart of the ship, the rower at the back padalling them to shore, and the other three teammates are at the front for lookout. ' _I...can't see anything_.' Hinata thinks, even with her eye activated, she can't see a thing. Sasuke looks to the side, bored to death already. He had things to do, places to see! Naruto closes his eyes, sniffing the air for any scent of smell. "The bridge isn't far now. Our destination is just up ahead: The Land of Waves," The rower calls from the distance, and all of them nod in affirmative. Naruto squints, as they slowly but surely inch closer to a dock with many ships already anchored in place. "WOW! Look at that!" Naruto exclaims, pointing forward. "Shh! We're supposed to be disguised and quiet! Not loud to the max! Why else are we moving through the dense fog? So they don't see us as well. Think things through."

Naruto covers his mouth with a bandaged hand and suppresses a laugh. Sasuke scowls at him. And Hinata softly smiles, humming to herself. 

Tazuna and Mighty Guy exchange a shared look of agreement. Sasuke stares Tazuna straight in the eye, and glares. "Tazuna- _san_." Tazuna looks down at his lap in shame of what he did. "before we reach the peer, I want to ask you something."

Tazuna was still silent, his shade hat and glasses still shadowing half his face. Frankly, Sasuke didn't give two flying fs.

"My team is going to drop you ashore if you hide anything from me. So, you'd better tell us what you did and why." The old man grunts. 

\--OP--

"Alright, so I'll tell you from the get go." he says finally, as the team stares down at him.

"You deserve the truth, for me being the stubborn one. I'm going to start at the beginning, so hold tight and hold your horses. This is a long one.

A short man, probably half the size of me, seeks my life. He has this shadow by his side."

"' _Shadow_?'" Hinata repreats faintly. Tazuna nods. "I suppose you haven't heard of him. Gato is the wealthiest man in the Mist. He is very powerful. Even after all of these years, he's still cruel. He sells drugs for big businesses, using gangs to overfiltrate other Nations. A year ago, he set his first sight on Wave."

"He used his welath to take full control of our transports. Anyone standing in his way soon died right after. A man with control over the sea has control of everything: finance, government, our very lives! What he fears is the Bridge. Once it is complete, it will finally stop his control once and for all. And I, I am the bridgebuilder."

 

There's a silence for a few minutes, before Naruto talks on their behalf.

 

"So what? You're standing in the gangster's way and all that."

"The ones from the forest, they were working for Gato." Hinata confirmed. Sasuke nodded in agreement. 

"So, if you knew he was dangerous, and knew he would attack you, why would you assign this as a simple escort mission when you know you're putting all of our lives on danger?

 

"Because the Land of Waves. Is small and in poverty...it's in a poor state as it is. Even the ones at the top of our system have low money. Common people like me building the bridge simply can't afford for higher ranked missions. There's just not enough to go around. If the mission ends, there'll be no bridge to build. And they'll assassinate me before I even try. And as for my grandson...he'll cry!"

"' _GRANDPA! GRANDPA! I want my grandpa_!'" He imitates in a whiny voice.

 

Sasuke and Naruto deadpan. 

 

"And then my daughter will go to the higher ups and complain about you abandoning her father for the sake of money and we'll on be on jeopardy." 

 

Again, the dynamic duo deadpan.

 

"Whatever the case it's not your fault if you put an old man in danger because he can't place a two cents, either."

 

"Alright, fellow citizen. We'll keep you guarded until the end of the mission on one condition."

"And what's that?"

 "Try not to be a useless guide." Tazuna smiles to himself, ' _I win_!'

"We're near the shore," the rower announces. "Tazuna, no one has noticed us so far. We're in the clear for now." Tazuna nods in approval. Through a dark tunnel, they row, and reach the other side where it's bright as day. There's a village surrounded by a body of water. They all stop at a dock and walked off the boat to land at last. "Good luck," the rower says, and they bid him goodbye. "Thanks for taking such a risk."

"Alright, now, TAKE ME TO MY HOME! And get me there in one piece, and squat!"

They nod and walk together, while Gai thinks to himself. 'The next ninja are no longer chunin, but full elite jounin. Their skills will rival my own.'

Naruto walks, and Hinata catches up to him. He throws her a sidelong glance. ' _What's up with that weirdo? I'm not letting her off that easy, believe it_!' Stepping in front of them all, he looks around and throws a kunai at the bushes. All of them stop and gasp at how brave and bold he was.

But then, it turns out to be nothing.

"Hm, just a mouse!" He says, mentally patting himself on the back for being so totally awesome and amazing.

Sasuke snaps at him out of his stupor, "That was nothing, you loser!"

"Careful with those kunai knives! Don't want you stabbing yourself...again..." Gai says, and Tazuna points a finger at Naruto. "All right, you little shrimp! That's the last straw!"

Naruto looks around, trying to find his prey, but to no avail. ' _I KNOW I sensed something nearby! I know I did, 'tebayo_!'

"W-Wait! Look, it's a rabbit." Hinata pointed out, cradling it close to her chest and showing it to the others. Mighty Guy stared at it for a second. ' _It's coat. It's a snow rabbit. During winter it looks like this, when there's no sun shining...it must be a decoy! A trap! It can't possibly be for any other purpose_...'

He hears a rustling from a treetop above them. He narrows his eyes. ' _The villain is here, then. Good timing_.'

Zabuza looks down at all five of them. ' _So these are the ones Gato was talking about. I suppose if I slit their throats now without their attention on me...And that's...Might Gai, the Green Beast of Konoha. Tch_. And I'm supposed to be scared of him.' He leaps down, and Gai rounds on him immediatedly the moment he touches the ground. He throws a sword down at them, but it hits a tree instead. All of the teammates are in shock of what just happened. Zabuza lands on the hilt of his sword. Mighty Gai blocks all of them, including the Old Man. Naruto growls. ' _I'm not gonna lose to Hinata_!' He thinks, ' _I'm gonna shine through, 'tebayo_!'

"Zabuza Momochi. You are the criminal-nin, otherwise known as an antagonist. An anti-hero. A---"

"---WE GET IT ALREADY!" Naruto shouts in exasperration. He was getting real tired of being the useless one of the three (even though it's the other way around).

"Who cares about 'im! Time to give 'im a piece of my mind!" He says, charging at the man, but is stopped by Maito Gai.

"No, not yet. He is of my level, not yours." Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto gasp in surprise.

"Hand over the Old Man, and I'll go quietly..." Zabuza growls in a dry voice. Mighty Guy snorts. "Not in a million years, my friend. Never...not without facing my Green Beast."

 

\---

' _Green Beast? What's he talking about_?' Hinata asks herself, hands covering her mouth in shock. Even Tazuna looks a little stiff. "New Mission! Protect the bridgebuilder...and stay out of this brawl!" Mighty Guy shouts, taking a step forward. "It's time for your teamwork. Work together as a team."

Zabuza frowns down at the green-spandex hero.

' _Looks like I'll see it in action_...'

"Well, then, let me show you the power of the Mist!" A green aura surrounds Mighty Guy. 'This power...what is it?' Sasuke thinks, eyes widening as he feels an animalistic killing intent from their sensei. 

A cloud of fog surrounds them suddenly, Zabuza's power activating. "Time to exterminate you, Zabuza!" Zabuza snaps, and Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto immediatedly surround the Old Man like a shielf with kunai in hand. Zabuza smirks, jumping down at inhuman speed with his sword. On the water, he stands.

"W - where is he? Wher did he g - go?" Hinata shivers, trembling. "Don't lower your guard. He sneak attacks those when they least expect it...it's why he's killed so many of my fellow comrades already. Be on the lookout." Gai warns them, and they nod in reply.

"I...can't see a damn thing," mutters Sasuke. The Old Man smiles softly. "Ocean surrounds us, boy. That's why we're the Mist."

' _This...is so chilling. Two jounin with killing intent...'_ Hinata thinks in horror, ' _J - just like that one time, when Neji-nii-san_...' Her eyes widen in realization. Mighty Guy senses her fear and says in encouragement. "Do not worry, young heroine. I am here for you to save the day once again! I won't let you or anyone else on my team die. That is a promise from yours truly." He puff his chest out proudly. "Oh, really, now? They won't if they die now..." A voice says, and they all turn around to the voice, and are stopped once they see Zabuza appear seemingly out of nowhere between them. He's about to swing his sword, but Gai is holding him back from the others with superhuman strength. He pulls a shuriken from his set and stabs it into his stomach bravely. Zabuza chokes water, and from his stomach, a stream of water bursts out instead of blood. A shadow is behind him....

"SENSEI! LOOK OUT!" Naruto screams, pointing at the other Zabuza. The clone bursts in the form of water, and the real Zabuza has his sword swipe Mighty Gai clean in half. If he wasn't so speedy, that is. In fact, with his taijutsu activated, he narrowly evaded it without any impact. There was only  a slight cut across his abdomen, but he didn't mind that at all. He appeared from behind Zabuza and had his kunai against his neck. "Don't move, little villain. As they say, the bigger they are, the larger they fall. It's all over."

 

_But, is it?_


	7. The Oath of Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (will finish during the weekend)

**7**

 

* * *

**Sasuke (1st POV)**

 Zabuza was standing stuck still.

Me and my "teammates" were watching from a distance. There was no other way. If I failed to at least protect Tazuna, then we would fail. And die. This Mist jounin could easily overpower me and the two deadlasts. He was far too strong for my tastes. "It's over," that green guy says, and I hear Naruto shout, "You did it, sensei! We got him good!"

I could only snort at the thought. What would he do now? Kill him and end it all already, or just hand him over to the Hokage? I can only wait and see.

Zabuza _laughs_. Laughs and laughs and laughs. My hands are shaking in anticipation.

"Not yet, Bushy Brows." He says, and I swear he seems unscathed, "A sorry excuse of a jounin like you will never beat me. Your hokage wasn't so smart allowing you to handle this mission when you so clearly don't know how." Sensei frowns. "Heh heh heh, you're so funny...I'll give you that."

"Your words earlier...meant nothing to me. Especially since I'm not even the real Zabuza." The second clone bursts into a stream of water, and the real Zabuza is behind Mighty Guy. ( _this is like an inception a this point, honestly_...) He throws his sword at Mighty Guy, but it hits the ground, because sensei's so swift. Zabuza grabs it once again by the holster and kicks sensei with his feet. Gai is thrown across from Zabuza. The criminal-nin boosts forward with that sword of his. He stops once there are spikes all over where Mighty Guy was when he was tossed. I guess he dropped them once he fell. _That idiot_.....He grunts and looks around warily. Maito Gai has already fallen into the water, and swims up ashore; wet head to toe in water. Zabuza appears from behind Gai once again ( _honestly, this is getting old_...)

 In defense, Sensei leaps up into the air, trying to slap Zabuza across the face. But, then, he's surrounded by a bubble of water!

"You won't move for awhile...and thanks for the much-needed break. And as for you," He turns around to us. "I'll kill each and every one of you next, once I get my hands on Tazuna...Your little friends will be eliminated. Water Clone Jutsu!" A current of water rises above him and sensei; enshrounding them Naruto gasps from beside me. I don't really care, not now anyway. Right now, it's survival of the fittest...

"You all think you're ninja, just because you wear those pathetic little headbands...but once you've seen life and death a thousand times, only then are you truly a shinobi.

When you're so deadly, that thousands crumble beneath your hands...it's electrifying."

The fog grows thicker and thicker, and I struggle to see...all I know is that Naruto appears in front of him, and kicks. The dobe is knocked, tumbling to the forest floor. I narrow my eyes, trying to feel my fingers, but they're so numb...

 

_Why the hell can't I move my muscles? And why's it so COLD?_

 

His headband is tossed aside, and Naruto stands up again. Zabuza has his foot on his hitai-ate's metal plate. It cracks in two. "This is worthless..."

" **NARUTO**!" I shout, still trying to recover from all that has happened in such a short amount of time. Hinata seems to be doing the same and she looks scared. Hmph.

"Naruto! Grab the bridgebuilder and go! All of you aren't strong enough to battle him!" Mighty shouts from his prison of water. "Half of his power is used to keep me in place, but the other is summoning clones. This is your chance to leave now that you can! Now, RUN!"

' _Run away...I can't do something so stupid...not an option. No matter how we go, or how fast we run, he'll kill us. I could at least die, with at least avenging someone..._

 _Our formation didn't work before. He almost killed us, if it wasn't for Sensei_.' I glance between Naruto and Hinata; torn. I sprint straight at Zabuza; not caring about anything else. Reviving the clan and avenging my clan can wait. I have a team to save. I throw kunai after kunai, but the damn ninja dodges each and every one. I jump from above, but his hands are around my throat. I struggle against him, but he tosses me aside like child's play. "I gotta get away...he's a true elite ninja!" Naruto says nearby, and I want so badly to stop that idiot from digging deeper into his own grave, but I can't. Hinata is by my side in a matter of second, trying to help me up through the dull ache in my limbs. 

I glare at Zabuza. ' _He's going down, if it's the last thing I do_!'

 

I see Naruto struggle. ' _Damn him...that scaredy cat. Do something! ANYTHING_!'

 

Naruto, the idiot that he is, dashes full speed at Zabuza. Again, he's tossed aside in a flurry of dust. He grabbed his headband, his bandaged hand holding it. I grunt, trying to move closer to him, but cough up blood. "You know...Momochi-san. You should know by now, the future hokage of the Hidden Leaf. Never. Backs. Down. His name's Naruto Uzumaki! And he will BEAT YOU!" 

 

Zabuza narrows his eyes. 

 

"Hey, Sasuke."

 

"What is it?" I ask, only somewhat curious as to what he wants. 

\---

**Naruto (1st POV)**

"Time for Plan B!" I shout, full of testosterone. Can't help it! After all those flashbacks of me becoming a ninja, and Iruka, I feel so pumped up to kick this guy's butt! He's all talk and, frankly, he's getting on my nerves!

And I hate how everyone's just standing there doing nothing, when Zabuza is right across from us with that sword. "Those are big words for someone so small." He says, and I try to resist the urge to self suicide. I hafta think this through! He's just testing me.

"This isn't good. I told you all to run! Your mission is to save the bridgebuilder! Not kill him!"

I look at the Old Man, but that hat is seriously covering half of his face. I can't see a damn thing! "At first, my desire was to live, and maybe I still do. If it's one life for three, however, then I'll take the risk. I'm too damn old anyway. But you...all three of you are young. You have a life to live, so...go." Man, what a monologue!

But, Hinata is smiling, and I guess she wants to beat up this baddie just as much as I do. "Ready?" she asks, and I nod. All three of us were gonna beat him up for good.

 

That's when the weirdo laughs.

 

"We work differently, little heroes...None of you saw what it's like to truly become a ninja. I crushed this many lives at your age." His fist clenches and he smiles down at it proudly. Gai sensei nods.

 

"I'm afraid he's right. The Mist's Graduation isn't the same as ours. He's the demon of the village. He's killed a thousand times more than you have at only the age of thirteen. 

"Uh, w - we have one, too! And we all passed!" Cheers Naruto. Zabuza laughs again. "Oh, but did you...kill all the other students to pass?" Naruto's eyes widen. 

"Imagine...killing those who were friends with you, trained you, ate with you....died all because of you. That's exactly what I did." Zabuza licks his lips with satisfaction. "The rules were reversed...it was kill or be killed! It was either me...or him."

 

Hinata-chan shivers in fright. ' _W - why_....'

 

Sasuke-teme grunts.

 

"Years ago, a shadow had killed over one hundred students at your academy...and that ninja..."

"...WAS ME!" Zabuza dashes in front of Hinata, sending her flying across the battlefield. She coughs up blood. 

"HINATA-CHAN!" I cries out desperately, activating my Shadow Clone Jutsu. A thousand clones of me surrounds this bastard.

Zabuza has a foot on her chest, as she writhes about in pain. "You know nothing..." he sneers, and tries to stop all of the clones thrown at him. He tosses the real me aside, but I'm not giving up just yet. I pull out a shuriken and toss it to Hinata mid-battle. "Hinata! Do your thing!" I shout, and she nods, determined. ' _This is your plan...Good job, Naruto-kun_.' She catches it and throws it at Zabuza. 

"Huh? A shruiken?" Zabuza looks at the thing with distaste. "You really think you can beat me with that? Don't be so stupid."

Instead of hitting the clone, it was aimed at the real Zabuza. He caught it easily, but the second one came out of nowhere. 

And then it turned into me and I throw a kunai at him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Rock Lee: The Green Beast of Konoha

**8**

* * *

  **3rd POV (Naruto/Hinata/Sasuke)**

Zabuza is holding onto the second shuriken, as Naruto falls into the water. A young boy clad in green, similar to Mighty Guy, has blocked the attack. Naruto swims up ashore, and sees a genin like him near Zabuza. 

"Eh? Whoa, what happened to you, sensei?" Naruto asks, his big blue eyes eyeing Rock Lee up and down. The genin turns to him with a smile. "My name is Rock Lee! Your sensei summoned me here, and now, I will challenge this lowlife into the depths of darkness!" He thens blinks, and smiles, "good job, fellow comrade! If it weren't for your handiwork, I wouldn't have made it in one piece

"Oh, it was nothin'! I knew I couldn't beat that bastard all by myself! I at least wanted to save sensei from his water prison! Now that you're here, we can work together as a team!"

Hinata smiles with a blush on her cheeks, and clutching onto her bloody chest. ' _You did it. Naruto-kun....I'm so proud of you. You've really turned into a hero all of a sudden. I wonder_...'

"Tch, that was just a fluke!" Tazuna says, chugging his beer.

' _It wasn't a fluke...you old man_.' Sasuke thinks, rolling his eyes, ' _their teamwork was flawless. As for you, well, you were useless the whole time.'_

Mighty Guy drops out of his water prison. "ROCK LEE!" He shouts, hugging him like a father to a son. "Thank the stars above you're here!"

"S - sensei..." He says, with a faint blush on his cheeks. They both turn to Zabuza, who snorts.

"I only let you go, because I had to. Now that I'm done with that technique..." He leaps to the lake where Naruto was. Mighty Guy follows suit, and summons Rock Lee back to his own team after all of his help.

 

 

Maito Gai and Zabuza jump onto the water as if it were ground and perform hand techniques. 

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!" They shout, and a stream of water clashes against each other. Waves of water hit Team Seven and they stumble back with the bridgebuilder. Mighty Gai has a kunai against Zabuza's sword.

' _Something isn't right_...' he thinks, ' _he used a different technique than my own. Did he...copy it?'_

Behind Team Seven, is a boy who's watching by the treetops. His name: Haku...

_\---_

**Meanwhile**....

Mighty Guy and Zabuza continue their fight. 

They leap away and circle each other like a predator and its prey. They throw techniques at each other: each involving a water jutsu. Eventually, the whole battlefield...

...is a flood of water. Team Seven struggles to swim with the constant flow of water. Haku above them, with his mask, disappears like the wind. 

Zabuza is thrown back to a forest tree. He's pinned down by kunai. Might Guy is above him, and he deactivates the water jutsu. Everything returns back to the way it was before.

 

Suddenly, a kunai from up above is thrown at him again. He falls down to the ground; unconscious. The figure above laughs and Team Seven look up at 'her.'

"You were right...this was his last battle."

Naruto swim back to shore, hacking up water, and breathing heavily. Mighty Gai speeds over to Zabuza's body and checks his pulse. He's...dead. Just like that.

The one wearing the mask bows. "Thank you. We've been on the lookout for Zabuza for quite some time. Lucky you've got him with you."

"Looking at that mask of yours, I assume you're a tracker from the Village Hidden In the Mist?" Sasuke asks, curious himself. Haku nods.

"Yes, indeed. Someone here is smart."

Naruto growls. 

"I am an elite ninja, a tracker. We were sent to bring him back; dead or alive. We can't have a rogue ninja spilling our secrets. It's my duty to stop Zabuza." Haku says in a womanly voice. ' _He seems to be the same age as us. But if that's the case_...' Hinata gulps. 

Naruto points a finger at Haku.

"Who do you think you are?"

No reply.

"Did ya hear me?" He asks again, annoyed. "Let it go, usuratonkachi. He's not our enemy." Sasuke scolds him halfheartedly. Naruto sputters and looks up at Haku again. "Not the point!" he shouts, "how? Zabuza's so big! Even I couldn't beat him! But they send in this little kid who's just like us...why?" he chokes, holding back his angry tears. 

Mighty Guy ruffles his hair. "The shinobi world...are full of heroes younger than you...and stronger than I."

Haku teleports in a flurry of leaves to Zabuza's body. Turning to Team Seven, he says, "Your struggle is over now. Leave his body to me." He hoists Zabuza's limp body over his shoulder and leaves. "Excuse us, goodbye."

Naruto, full of fury, slams a fist into the ground. And then again. And again. He's beating himself over it. "Why...I did nothing! Why? Why aren't I that strong?" He screams, and Mighty Guy has a hand on his shoulder. "Save your anger for our next enemy, little hero. We...still have a mission to complete. Escorting our fellow citizen to his bridge."

Tazuna laughs heartily.

"Heh heh! Let's go to my house at the village and call it a day, then!" He tips his hat. Mighty Guy nods in agreement. 

"Alright, let's get a move o---"

Before he even says anything, he falls to the ground. All four of them gasp, and surround him.

"S - sensei?" Naruto asks in a small voice.

 

 


	9. Forest of Chakra

**9**

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	10. The Land Where A Hero Once Lived

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	11. The Battle On The Bridge, Zabuza Returns

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* * *

 

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	12. Chapter 12

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	13. The Number One Ninja of Konoha!

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	14. Zero Visibility, The Sharingan Shatters

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	15. The Broken Seal

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	16. Hinata Dies

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**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all of you for reading this! It means a lot to me. And no, before you ask, I am NOT including the filler episodes (thank god). That's too much time to waste on something that isn't essentially part of the story. I'm just sticking to the original plot with my own little twists here and there. This series will be ongoing for quite awhile, so it's still unfinished for now. Let me know what you think as I go.
> 
> Oh! And before I forget, I'm going on break for awhile, especially the weekdays. Work, school, and homework is a lot all at once, but add other media to catch up on is almost impossible. Almost. But, as long as I use time with each and every one, I will be available on the weekends. Kudos, and I bid you adieu!


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